Soaring Descent
by Glue Gun
Summary: Axel falls down the metaphorical rabbit-hole, his White Rabbit coming in the form of a certain suicidal blond boy. AU. AxelRoxas, SoraRiku
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I own the characters in no way, shape, or form.

**Pairings**: Roxas/Axel, Sora/Riku, and probably a few others.

**Author Note**:  
There are two things you should keep in mind.  
Number one, the genres are labeled that way for a reason.  
Two, I am no writer.

**Warnings**: You'll see plenty of bastardized mythical (and some not so mythical) creatures as well as time era clichés. Though I can guarantee that you _won't_ see vampires. So if you're looking for that sort of thing, it's best you continue your search elsewhere.

Also, I read this over but if there are mistakes I didn't catch I apologize. Grammar is not my strong point but I try, so if there are any errors that reoccur please feel free to inform me.

**  
Soaring Descent**  
Prologue

"Don't you _**dare**_ give me that 'I can't live without him' bullshit!"

If Axel didn't want to hear his reasons, he wouldn't speak. So he didn't. What was there to say, anyway? No matter what he said Axel would twist and taunt and make his words, his reasons, his logic, seem petty, ignorant and childish. His friend didn't understand, _couldn't_ understand what he was feeling right now. What his body, his being, what the fucking _universe _was screaming at him to do.

"God damn it Roxas! You didn't even fucking know him!" Axel spat at the boy standing not five feet away from him. They were so close, a few steps and he could reach out and touch the blond, yank him backwards, do something, _anything_. The distance seemed far too vast.

Roxas remained still, his back turned to the furious redhead. Staring out at the huge expanse of cloudless blue sky beyond him, he wondered if Sora's eyes would have mirrored its color. _Of course they would have_, he decided. The sky was stunning and Sora deserved no less.

"Roxas…" Axel's voice sounded desperate, pained, even to his own ears. He was sure he was going to explode; the train wreck he could feel inside his chest told him so. The pounding of his heart was sickening. Fuck it. Nausea was getting the best of him. He might as well start heading towards the edge, even if he were too late to save Roxas, he could always throw-up over the side of the building.

Roxas knew that Sora's presence would have been just as meaningful to everyone as the sky—essential; part of everyone's lives. Sora would have been able to make everything better, relate to anyone. Fix anything, anyone. _Fix me_.

He was so empty.

It didn't make any sense.

Keeping balance on the edge of the building no longer seemed to hold any importance. It felt as though he were no longer standing, instead he was flying, arms outstretched and eyes trained upwards, fixated on something he couldn't see, something he couldn't imagine.

Roxas barely registered the arms wrapping around him before he was tugged violently backwards. Axel landed on his ass with a thump, keeping his arms wound tightly around the boy now securely held captive in his lap.

Dully, Roxas felt guilty for how badly Axel was shaking. He wanted to comfort his friend, apologize and laugh it off, show him he cared. But he didn't. He couldn't. He was too numb to care. He was only vaguely aware that he _should_ care and that how little he actually did should be frightening him. When had he become so detached?

They were both silent for a long time, one worrying himself sick and the other lost in thought. After a few minutes of staying in that position Axel relaxed slightly, leaning forward against the boy in his lap, slumping over him and resting his cheek on top of blond hair. It would have been peaceful, sitting on top of Gizmo Factory in all of its twenty-story glory; the sun shining brightly, breeze gentle and cool. It couldn't have been a more perfect day.

"You're not struggling," Axel pointed out finally.

The false tranquility was easily broken by Roxas' response, "I don't need to." There was a small pause in which Axel's breath caught in his throat. "You can't hold on to me forever."

With those words anything Axel could have hoped for crashed and burned. He would have liked to sit back and admire the demolition and fiery defeat of his fragile hope, but the waves of hurt and anger that washed over him were too demanding. He was drowning.

Before Roxas knew what was happening he was being vehemently spun around in Axel's lap to face the redhead. The only thing he offered to the devastatingly raw emotions playing on Axel's face was a slight disgruntled look courtesy of the awkward straddling position he was forced into. This only caused a flicker in Axel's expression that clearly contained disgust. It was obvious Axel felt utterly betrayed; worthless in the eyes of someone he had given his trust.

"You've lost weight," Roxas observed aloud, shifting slightly on Axel's lap

A soft snort. He'd always been thin, but he had grown unhealthily so over the past few weeks. Worry caused him loss of appetite. "And who is at fault for that, I wonder?"

_I am._ "You should eat."

"Right now? Yeah, right. As if I'd do something that stupid," he rolled his eyes. "Why's my boniness noteworthy, anyway?"

"Your lap is uncomfortable," Roxas replied easily. A beat, in which Axel was silent, wondering whether or not he should be offended, then, "Go get yourself a sandwich. I want to be alone with Sora."

There was a hard numbing pain in the vicinity of Roxas' cheek; a punch. He hadn't had time to react more than his head snapping to the side before Axel roughly shoved him off of his lap. Next thing he knew his hands were stinging from having scraped against the coarse concrete. Immediately he made to get to his feet but was sent back to the ground by a hard kick to his side.

"_Sora_ isn't here, Roxas," Axel's voice was borderline hysteric.

Roxas raised his arms automatically in defense as another kick came.

"Sora has never been here. Do you want to know why, Roxas?" One more kick and then Axel was kneeling beside the winded boy, a hand fisting into his shirt and yanking him upright. He leaned forward and pressed the side of his face close to Roxas', lips against his ear he spoke slowly, in a low, seething hiss, "Because he's fucking _dead."_

This time it was Axel who was on the receiving end of a punch, the smaller boy's fist connecting painfully with his jaw. The redhead staggered backwards, clumsily getting to his feet. Roxas quickly followed suit, not missing a beat he launched himself at the other boy, dodging a punch and landing his own fist hard in Axel's gut.

Axel doubled over, his breathing heavy. "Fuck you," he growled. "Why hell are you doing this!?" his voice was gaining volume as he spoke and he raised his head to pin Roxas with his heated gaze, still clutching his throbbing stomach.

Roxas returned the gaze impassively, wiping the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. "Does it matter?" he asked, voice betraying no emotion. "The point is, I am. What are you going to do about it?" _There's nothing you can do. Give up._

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?" Axel screamed so loudly it hurt, his voice breaking in protest. He was so frustrated, felt so fucking _helpless_. Green eyes stung as the tears rolled hot down his face. He wasn't crying, he never did after all. Roxas would understand, his fucking _best friend_ would know it wasn't true, that the tears weren't real. Axel didn't cry.

The desperation, the hopelessness in his voice, the expression on his face, everything about Axel—it was heartbreaking. Roxas made a note to feel heartbroken whenever he was actually capable of it. Right now it wasn't possible; he doesn't possess the capacity for it.

"This is not about you. It's about him." _Things would be better if it was about you._

It hurt. Roxas was walking back towards the edge of the building, and it hurt. Axel stood there uselessly as Roxas stepped up onto the ledge, the wind playfully tousling his blond spikes. Roxas had been right; there was nothing he could do. The other boy was spreading his arms again, wide and welcoming, embracing something that could not embrace him in return. It hurt so fucking bad.

Even from the back, his friend looked beautiful. Even as Roxas was so close to stepping off the edge, Axel felt his heart clench painfully, familiarly, for reasons that had nothing to do with the current situation.

Once positioned on the ledge, Roxas carefully turned around to face Axel, a sincere smile gracing his lips.

"Let's meet again in another life." Roxas' voice was as sweet and clear as the sky that meant so much to him. The words he spoke had a sense of finality that made Axel's adrenaline rush even faster than it already was.

Before he could even fully register what was happening, Axel was rushing forward, quickly closing the distance that he had allowed the blond to place between them. There wasn't enough time, but there _had _to be, he had to get there in time_, he had to_. There was nothing else, only Roxas. He was like a dog that had only been taught one trick. Getting to him was the only thing he knew.

Roxas closed his eyes, a smile gracing his lips; he felt more alive now than he ever had in his life, and for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, he felt like love was real. It wasn't just something in fairy tales, something you hear about and try to mimic but never fully understand; no, it was possible, it was _real_. He could feel it; he could _hear_ it in each of Axel's steps as he blindly rushed forward. It was a pity that he would be too late.

Roxas returned his gaze to the sky as he stepped backward, off the ledge; off the building.

He was not quite past the point of being able to regain balance when the entire process was crudely sped up by a blur of red hair and pair of hands roughly shoving him firmly on the chest.

His peaceful fall had been interrupted, rushed. Axel had pushed him. Roxas couldn't say he minded. Axel's fiery red hair contrasted nicely with the blue. There was nothing he would rather look at as he fell than his best friend framed by that beautiful expanse of sky.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I own the characters in no way, shape, or form.

**Pairings**: Roxas/Axel, Sora/Riku, and a few others.

**Author Note**:  
Again, I feel obligated to remind you that this is a FANTASY story. It reads more like a poorly written fantasy novel than a fanfiction.  
I finished writing this within a week after posting the prologue, but I failed to post it. I think my original intent was to make it longer, effectively introducing Roxas again in order to keep the story interesting (obviously people reading this want AkuRoku). I reread it months and months later and decided to post it as it is. So I apologize if this chapter is boring.

**Warnings**:  
While well aware that this story comes across as containing extreme levels of emo and/or angst, I swear that's not true. Well, vaguely--but bear with me and it'll get better, promise.

* * *

**Soaring Descent**  
Chapter One

The cool ankle-deep water of the creek soaked easily into Axel's sneakers, his wet socks creating an odd slick feeling inside his shoes. The legs of his pants were already soaked as he proceeded down the small body of water, he hadn't even bothered to roll them up. He didn't bother with much of anything anymore.

"_I love that sound," Roxas said, breaking the peaceful silence. _

_Axel only grunted in question, too busy trying to keep up with the blonde while at the same time making sure not to slice his bare feet open on sharp rocks beneath the shallow water. He could definitely understand why Roxas left his shoes on every time they decided to venture down the creek. Something that had originally made the boy seem strange suddenly made sense with every weary step Axel was forced to take. _

"_This," a gesture downwards and a more deliberate step into the water was all the more he elaborated. Axel committed the soft splashing sound to memory. After all, it was rare that he got to add something to the list of the things Roxas loved. _

Axel froze when caught himself listening too intently to the sound the water made every time he took another step. Suddenly, he didn't want to walk anymore. While he knew he couldn't stand in the creak all day, he decided to stall regardless, glaring off into the thick woods surrounding the creek on either side of him.

Movement in his peripheral vision alerted him that he was not alone. A silvery cat was sitting by a tree not too far away from him, its marble-like teal eyes watching him intently. Teal eyes that he knew too fucking well.

"Replica, what do you think you're you doing out here? Huh!?" That bitch of a cat had run off a whole _month_ ago and now had the nerve to show up _here_ of all places. He was staring directly at his master, and said master _knew_ the cat recognized him.

Replica remained motionless, refusing to respond. _Well fuck you too then._ He turned up his nose at the feline, returning the cat's attentions with a half-hearted glare.

"_I think Sora would have liked him," Roxas whispered. He was lying on Axel's couch, Replica perched demandingly on his chest. The cat was purring loudly as Roxas gently ran his fingers over long, silky silver fur. _

_Axel tore his eyes away from his friend, trying to pretend he hadn't heard, like he didn't care. He cared far too much. Ever since the blonde had found out about Sora a few weeks prior, he'd been fixated. Completely fucking obsessed, like the existence—nonexistence, of the kid was the elusive answer to every question he had ever asked himself. Roxas acted as if this Sora person was the one thing he had always been missing, the elusive unknown variable in the equation that is life. Axel fucking hated it. His friend was becoming increasingly distant, even more so than usual. It scared him. _

_To top it all off, Roxas never mentioned Axel and Sora in the same sentence. It made him feel entirely too worthless in Roxas' eyes. Even the CAT got to be liked by Sora. Okay, he might have been a little jealous of Replica's position at the moment too. Every time he tried to use Roxas as a pillow the only thing he got was a rather harsh shove and an immediate plummet to the ground. _

After another moment of no response from his ex-cat, the redhead childishly trudged on, not looking back.

It almost hurt him to leave Replica behind; he'd had the cat since it was a young kitten. He was nearly as dear to him as Roxas was. But the cat had also not been there, mewling, rubbing and demanding food when Axel returned home after he… Well, after the last time he saw Roxas. He knew that Replica was just a cat, but he couldn't help but feel cruelly abandoned.

It wasn't too long before he reached the wide lightless tunnel that ran under the street high above him. The creek ran through it and it was usually Axel's favorite part of their little creeking adventures. Not only could he always manage to elicit at least a small amount of fear or tenseness from Roxas as they went through it, but the tunnel floor was solid concrete and as he usually didn't wear shoes, that was a godsend.

If a deranged hobo were to extract itself from the shadows darkening the walls of the tunnel right at this very moment, Axel wouldn't have given a rat's ass. Something exciting would have been welcome, anything that could take away that dull useless feeling he'd been plagued with for what seemed like forever now.

It had only been a month. One month without Roxas and he had already lost all motivation for doing anything. What was the point if he couldn't do anything, everything, with Roxas? God, he sounded like some needy little bitch. But it was true, surprisingly enough. He'd been fine on his own, he could deal with meeting and losing friends. Until he met Roxas. After that the world seemed to shift, change, or maybe he just looked at it in a different light. He'd met someone he could see himself hanging around for the rest of his life. A constant reassurance that someone was always there for him, someone he knew for sure he could depend on and in turn be depended on. They got along and clashed together so perfectly, life without Roxas just didn't seem imaginable, possible.

Now that the reality of Roxas' perpetual absence was thrust upon him, he saw life for how pointless it really was.

Just when he was almost starting to believe that the tentacle brandishing monster he had been trying to picture melting out of the shadows was actually real, the daylight at the end of the tunnel was in sight. The light bathed the walls dully, allowing fading amateur graffiti to be seen scrawled upon its surface.

_This is the part where it gets fun._ Once out of the tunnel, the creek uncharacteristically plunges at least ten feet deep for a limited distance. Upon climbing up the large rocks and muddy land to either side of the creak, Axel perched himself on top of the wide tunnel, the whole time pointedly facing away from the edge. A small jump, that's all it was; he had done it before, the water couldn't have been much more than another ten feet down. Time and time again he'd told himself that he wasn't afraid of heights, that he wasn't traumatized by certain past events, but he had to test it, prove to himself how little Roxas jumping off a building meant to him. _Is that really what happened, he __**jumped**__?_ Over the course of the past month Axel had tried to convince himself that Roxas would have fell over the edge no matter what; that pushing him only allowed Axel the satisfaction of knowing that he had prevented his friend from ending his own life.

He had ended it for him.

That thought shouldn't be comforting. Apparently Axel's conscience wasn't aware of this, however. If it had been aware, maybe he would have felt bad for not being in locked up in jail for murder right now. He could turn himself in, he supposed, but he wasn't sure anyone would believe him. After all, what kind of murderer doesn't know what the hell happened to the body? What kind of _friend_ watches their best mate, brother from another mother, partner in crime and personal armrest (he was certain that he'd ever find someone the perfect height for leaning on ever again) fall to their death only to completely miss the moment they splatter on the pavement below.

Hell, he wasn't even sure if Roxas hit the ground at all.

Surely there should have been some form of sickening thud as his bones gave in to the force of the impact and his blood spilled freely over the street. Okay, maybe he wouldn't have been able to hear that. But it felt like there should have been at least some indication that Roxas had hit the ground. Instead, there was nothing. It was almost disappointing.

Pushing away his thoughts of Roxas (which seemed more like a question of his own sanity nowadays), Axel walked backwards until he felt the edge of the tunnel. From there he knew it was a straight drop downwards into the deepest part of the water. He had his shoes on, so no worries about cutting his feet open on rocks. All he had to do was jump. Easier said than done. Axel cursed under his breath, refusing to acknowledge the way his legs were trembling—in anticipation or fear, he wasn't sure.

_Roxas stood away from the edge, arms folded stubbornly over his chest. "Axel, it's freezing."_

"_No it's not. Refreshingly cold, more like. Come on, I've already done it twice. Quit being such a girl."_

"_I am not walking all the way back soaking wet."_

"_Then take off your clothes first."_

_Judging by the dirty look Roxas shot him, the blonde didn't like that idea._

_Sighing, Axel opted for a different approach. "Three dollars."_

_After a skeptical look from Roxas, he pulled a soggy five dollar bill from his pocket. "Five."_

"…_Fine," Roxas said after a moment of glaring. He plucked the bill from Axel's fingers and secured it beneath a rock, not wanting to risk losing it in the water below._

"_You might as well take that shirt off at least." The suggestion earned a raised eyebrow from Roxas, so he elaborated, "It's white."_

_The blonde rolled his eyes and positioned himself a few feet away from the edge as Axel had done, to allow himself running distance. _

"_Something tells me you would like it better if I left it on," Roxas said, glancing over his shoulder at the redhead. _

_He smirked at the last glimpse of Axel's expression before he ran forward and leapt off the edge._

_Axel barely registered the loud splash as he was left to gape. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Roxas didn't really think he was that much of a kinky bastard, did he?_

Remembering the way Roxas had jumped when it was least expected Axel wished he had someone to distract him now. Wished it wasn't so hard to work up the nerve to step off of a place he had jumped from countless times. It shouldn't have been hard, but then again, Roxas should have been there with him. Axel was gong to waste away lingering on the should've-would've-could'ves of it all, wasn't he? _Fuck_ _it_.

Focusing on the image of Roxas burned into his memories, burned into the darkness that came every time he closed his eyes; he jumped backwards off of the tunnel.

In the briefest seconds before he hit the water Axel wondered what had been going through Roxas' head that day as he fell. He thought maybe falling himself could shed some light on it. He could picture Roxas, staring up at him after he was pushed, his sunshine locks blowing violently around his face. Had he been upset? Angered that his best friend had pushed—_killed _him? Nah, he was going to do it anyway. If Roxas had been upset about anything it was that Axel had _wanted _to kill him.

Axel wished Roxas would have pushed him instead, killed him. In a way, Roxas _had_ killed him that day, something inside of him at least.

By the time he hit the water, he had forgotten to hold his nose and he could feel the uncomfortable burning sensation in his sinuses already. Dirty water rushed all around him, shifting to accommodate his mass. Green eyes were shut tight; he wouldn't have been able to see in water this murky anyway. It seemed as if he were suspended, floating weightlessly beneath the surface. The feeling was oddly comforting.

Soon enough his body began demanding that the hydrogen get the fuck out of his oxygen. He stalled, briefly considering allowing himself to drown. The thought was quickly rejected; he _detested _that suffocating feeling. Really fucking hated it. He would rather burn alive than drown.

When he resurfaced, the world was dark.

His eyes were unadjusted to the sudden plunge into darkness, unable to make out his surroundings he dogpaddled uselessly in place. Even through the darkness it was obvious that he was still outdoors, the stars above were radiant, shining down at him happily as if laughing at his confusion.

Very quickly, his confusion was replaced with panic. Axel blinked wetly, head turning in every direction until his vision adapted and he could make out the faint outline of shore not too far away, where the starlight's gleam on the water ceased to shine.

Stiffly, almost afraid to move, Axel began to swim with a caution that suggested the ground—or lack there of might drop right out from under him at any given moment. Noting that no plug at the bottom of the assumed lake had been pulled as he cautiously glided forward, Axel made his way to shore. When he got there a short while later, the cool mud and then grass beneath his fingers was reassuring. At least this place was not completely foreign.

Putting aside thoughts of portals to other worlds, he allowed himself a moment to breathe. He was alive and apparently fully functional. Not all was lost. If anything was lost it was the nothingness of life, the promise of the mundane and repetitive. Maybe even the promise of never seeing Roxas again was lost too. Roxas had disappeared, after all. Hadn't that just happened to him as well? The thought of Roxas angered him just as much as it made his heart race and he grudgingly shoved himself to his feet, heading straight into the darkness.

Too soon it became apparent that there was nothing more than a large expanse of grassy land beyond him. It seemed to go on for miles and miles.

He walked blindly forward for about five minutes before he was shoved to an abrupt halt. A wall. Well, it didn't look like one, didn't feel like one even, but it _was_ solid and preventing him from progressing. This was either a hellova good painting of the night sky and field beyond him, or there was some crazy alien force-field shit going on. _God damn it!_

Well, at least it was something. If there was a wall there was also a good chance that there would be a door. He walked along the wall, his right palm gliding across it as he went. The more he lingered on the idea that he was inside a room, an enclosed space, the more claustrophobic he felt. More than panic though, there was anger. With the extremely odd situation came all the emotions of what he had felt for the last month. He knew he would laugh at his reaction later, but right now he felt like a wild animal shoved into a cage for the very first time. Overdramatic? Maybe ('Always,' Axel thought dully, would have been Roxas' response when his dramatic ways were in question). But he'd be damned if he cared at that point in time.

His movements grew frantic as he stumbled through the darkness, his fingers all the time pressed resolutely against his only constant—the wall. Axel almost fell over when it was suddenly gone, his arm plunging into emptiness.

To catch himself his hand flung sideways groping for the corner where the wall had cut off, and sure enough his palm collided with and gripped at the corner of the wall. His body turned towards the wall, meaning to stumble through what he could only assume was an open doorway. He knew he might never work up the nerve to enter an unknown room otherwise, so he gladly took advantage of his own blunder. Though as it turned out, the sudden lack of wall wasn't a doorway. Axel's thighs pressed firmly against the wall underneath the empty space as his free hand shot down to grip the ledge.

His upper-body was jerked forward by the force of his own movement. For a split second he saw the same night sky he had been walking along—as if the wall was still there. Axel flinched involuntarily, half-expecting his face to come into contact with something _very_ solid, even though he knew that it wasn't. His hand, his entire arm had just gone through it, after all.

A moment later his head was filled with the sound of air rushing past him as his vision filled with a sky that was much darker than the one he thought his face would be getting friendly with not a second before.

The wind made it difficult to breathe and caused his eyes to water in defense. What he saw when he squinted and focused his stinging eyes stunned him.

It was kind of like walking up the stairs in the dark, he mused. You assume there is one more step then there actually is and are welcomed with nothingness and a falling sensation in your stomach. Except this was more like trying to walk through an open window as if it were a door. A window. Had he not been able to tell by its shape, he would have known what the opening in the wall was by the sight he was welcomed with.

Red hair, his own, was whipping violently around his face as the wind rushed past him. He was inside a building, he realized. Really fucking high up in said building.

The structures around the one he was in were also monstrous, extremely tall things built with something dark and polished judging by the way the various colored lights running up the side of each one were causing the building itself to gleam.

The windows in the other buildings all appeared to be merely cut from the walls with no glass or anything else covering it. Well, except for the multicolored _something_ that appeared to be placed from the inside. Each one had a different design, and looking back over his shoulder Axel noted that the image that appeared on his window was a chunk of the more star speckled night sky that he had passed through as if it were air. It looked like the portions of his body still inside the room were completely cut from the rest of him. _Creepy_. _What the fuck._

Knowing he would get nowhere wondering over mysterious illusions lining the room, Axel focused on what was outside the window. The buildings were as close as they came in a city, every single one looking identical under the dark sky. There weren't as many stars in the 'real' sky as there were within the room. The lights from what he assumed were streets far below were lit with bright technicolor lamps with no distinguishable pattern.

Even from this height it was obvious that there was nothing roaming the street. This fact might have spooked him if he had not been so weary to find out what type of beings lived here. His media-fried mind was trying to convince him that the residents of this world might not be human.

Staring out the window would get him nowhere. Heaving a deep sigh, Axel pushed himself back inside, easily passing through the image of the starry sky as if it weren't even there.

If there was a window, there must be a door. That logic was reasonable, right? Moreover, it was all he had to work with. There was no way in hell he was even going to think about climbing out that window. And he would rather not be caught trespassing either. Best to find a door and then a way down and out as soon as possible.

Continuing along the wall again, it wasn't long before his hand bumped awkwardly against a long hard object attached to the wall. Upon further inspection it turned out to be a handle to a sliding door. An unlocked sliding door. _Ha! _

Completely forgetting to be cautious, Axel thrust the door open and strutted gratefully through it. The long hallway before him was dimly lit with navy blue walls and black speckled flooring reminiscent of the nighttime sky trapped within the room he had just exited. There were no pictures adorning the walls, no form of decoration whatsoever.

Suddenly, he felt cold, whether it was because of his still damp clothing or the emptiness of the hall, he wasn't sure.

Subtly wrapping his arms around himself, Axel trudged down the hallway, sneakers squeaking occasionally on the smooth tiles. He had to resist entering the few doors he came across along the way. Snooping would no doubt lead him into more trouble; he just needed to find a way to the first floor, an elevator, stairs, _something_.

His persistence was rewarded when the hallway finally branched off and turned into another.

Upon turning the corner he could already see a set of fancy doors halfway down the hall. The doors were bigger and more important looking than the previous ones, stretching all the way up to the high ceiling. The wood they appeared to be made from looked like polished ivory with intricate designs carved into the milky white frame.

The doors weren't as heavy as they had appeared to be, Axel easily pulled them open. The generously proportioned room before him was completely upstaged by a grand spiraling staircase that rose up through the ceili—_holy fuck._ There was no ceiling. The floor didn't seem to exist either (needless to say he took a few shocked steps away from the doorway upon realizing this). This room was not so much a room as it was an enormous gaping hole running through the entire building, filled with nothing more than the sturdy, expensive looking staircase.

Well, he had found what he had been looking for: a way down and then hopefully _out_. But how the fuck was he supposed to get to it? There was a considerable distance between the doorway and the metallic banister of the staircase. And to top it all off, looking down made Axel feel like he had just emerged from a swimming pool filled entirely with sour, curdling milk. Okay, so maybe he _was_ a little traumatized by what happened with Roxas. Part of him wished that the room's lighting wasn't so adequate so that he could have just stepped blindly into it and fell to his death. Or you know, he could just be a man and jump off on his own like a big boy.

As much as he loved pretending to be all pessimistic and suicidal, he really should stop musing over such idiotic useless things and figure something out.

Returning to the lake-room, making a rope out of grass and scaling the side of the building was quickly ruled out (after much deliberation). Axel continued to busy himself with other similarly ridiculous plans while studying the lack of floor with the pallor of a dead man. He was stalling, completely and shamelessly _stalling_.

"You can just swim out, ya'know."

It only took a split second for Axel's head to snap in the direction of the unfamiliar voice, and only a bit longer to register that the amused look on the blond man's face was quickly transformed into one of shock. Almost as if he had seen a ghost—as if he hadn't expected Axel to respond.

"You can see…?" the blonde asked, eyes wide and curious.

It was a stupid question so Axel didn't bother answering it, instead taking a moment to be relieved that this Alien at least appeared to be human.

The other seemed to visibly relax at Axel's lack of response, "Oh, no. Of course you can't." A sigh of relief and then, "Haa, stupid Demyx."

"Demyx?" Axel didn't hesitate as he spoke the odd word in the form of a question, already having formulated a plan to snatch the guy's acid-spitting gun if he happened to pull one out.

The poor thing's eyes widened even more comically as he gestured frantically at himself. "You know my name!"

"…I do now."

An enthusiastic clap of hands was all the warning he got before Demyx began circling him, first excitedly and then more calmly, contemplative. His steps were clumsy and awkward but still seemed to flow in some strange sort of way. While circling, the blonde was busy poking, prodding, tugging and pushing him. Axel stood still and prayed that it wasn't some sort of alien mating ritual; he would rather _not_ be probed today, thank you very much.

After twenty-something laps of ring-around-the-Axel, Demyx finally seemed satisfied, stopping in front of him and grinning expectantly.

"Er…" Upon further inspection of the stranger's appearance, Axel felt less like he had been poked at by an alien life-form, and more like he had been felt up by a hooker.

Demyx was wearing what appeared to be a short white, well, _dress_. He would have liked to call it a tunic, but no matter which way he looked at it, it was still a dress. A thin, loose, sleeveless dress that only scarcely covered what it was supposed to. If that wasn't bad enough, the Alien-boy also appeared to have on odd thigh-high boots made of some sort of scaly animal hide—snake skin? (Axel would have been tempted to call them socks rather than boots because of how closely they clung to his skin, but the scales made the possibility of them being socks low). What was most odd about the boots was that instead of the opening being straight like on most boots, it was jagged and irregular, scales riding up his thigh (some patches completely detached from the rest of the footwear, even) making them look like they had melted into and became a part of his leg. Maybe Axel wasn't just being a pessimist and this guy really was an alien.

Great. An alien prostitute. Now he couldn't use that overused but clever 'take me to your leader' line. Axel had no interest whatsoever in finding out what an extraterrestrial pimp cane looked like.

"They said Demyx wouldn't be of any help since he spends all of his time here, but we'll show them, won't we mister?"

"_Axel_," he clarified, prodding himself on the chest with a thumb. "And who exactly are we showing what?"

"The ones who brought us here," Demyx offered Axel a kind smile and grabbed him by the wrist. Axel couldn't help but notice how unnaturally smooth the skin of the other's palm was as he was dragged towards the room with the staircase. "Aren't you curious to know where you are? Demyx was! When he got here he asked everybody, but nobody answered for the longest time! It was super scary, though probably mostly because swimming was SO difficult."

Had Demyx not stepped so confidently into the room without the floor, Axel probably would have struggled out of the other's grip and went to go boldly cower in the corner somewhere. As it turns out though, they didn't fall and the room _did_ have a floor. He just couldn't see it. Though it really wasn't doing much for Axel's newly found fear of heights. Glaring down at the emptiness below him wearily, as if _daring_ it to drop him, Axel was barely listening to the rambling boy leading him.

It wasn't until they got to the staircase before Axel asked the boy to repeat himself, gripping the metallic railing and trying not to hyperventilate. Demyx complied, repeating himself while patently studying Axel's demeanor.

"Eh, when I find out where I am I'm sure it'll become a lot less interesting. So I don't really care too much." And as an afterthought, he added, "Swimming?"

"New places are most interesting when you are learning about them. And, not swimming," Demyx smacked his head once as if he had forgotten something. "Um, Demyx wrote it down but he left it in his friend's room…" A look of painful concentration crossed his face as he began to descend the stairs, gesturing for Axel to follow.

Axel fell into step beside the blonde, not questioning whose room Demyx was referring to. It's not like it would be anyone he knew anyway.

"Movement, moving, moving, walk, walking!" Demyx turned his head to beam at Axel, clearly proud of himself. "Walking is what Demyx meant."

Walking was hard for him? Well, that explained why he moved so oddly before. And he still was, though it was harder to tell as he was descending the staircase, but he was definitely having some sort of trouble, it looked like he had to think about how to step instead of it coming naturally. His arms were bent at the elbows and held out away from his body, bouncing slightly in small circles with each step. Funny, Axel had written this odd behavior off as something uniquely alien—or just idiocy. He now realized that the blonde was simply struggling to keep his balance.

When Axel didn't congratulate him for his awesome recollection skills, Demyx continued sheepishly, "Sorry. Marluxia says Demyx was the most difficult to make translations for."

Wait, translations? "Is that why you keep referring to yourself in third person?" He sure hoped so. It was really annoying and he had no idea why anyone would intentionally speak that way. Though admittedly it sounded so stupid it was actually kind of cute. Kind of like Replica when he was just learning to walk. The poor kitten's head was too big and his body was too fat so he kept falling over every time he tried to stand. D'aww, okay, maybe his speech patterns weren't _that_ adorable.

Demyx nodded, "Yeah, Larxene says so anyway. She really hates it. Hopefully her incessant hair-pulling will inspire Marluxia to correct it soon."

"So if they're teaching you a new language, what did you speak before?" Axel didn't particularly care, he just didn't have anything better to do than keep conversation flowing. The staircase didn't seem to want to end anytime soon.

"They're not teaching Demyx. They gave the knowledge to him," He corrected before shooting Axel a sly look. "As for what Demyx spoke before, you wouldn't know it if he told you."

"Gave it to you? What, like gift-wrapped or did it just have a bow on it?"

Demyx looked a little confused at that, but didn't ask for clarification. "It wasn't an offering. It was a drink."

"Drink—ohhh, you mean a potion right?" Axel teased, feeling less tense now that he was almost one-hundred percent certain that Demyx wasn't a threat. The guy didn't seem to have a mean bone—or scale, in his body.

"Yep! That's the word!"

Wait, what? Well, he supposed it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. He had, after all, just walked over an invisible floor. Still, as much as his more childish side nagged about how cool all this weird shit was, he still would rather believe that everything he had experienced since he arrived in this strange place was just a result of highly advanced technology. Then again, he had once read somewhere, and agreed, that truly advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic. So either way it didn't really matter.

Still, he felt weary of how comfortable Demyx seemed to be about the whole magic thing. Maybe they drugged him up on MP Potions and brainwashed him. "Where did you say you were from again?"

"Didn't say. Though even if Demyx did, you wouldn't know of it, since it's a secret." Axel had barely raised an eyebrow before Demyx was pouting. "Riku knew _of_ us though," he went on fretfully.

Since this Riku person seemed to visibly worry the other boy, Axel decided to humor him. "Did he now?"

"Yes! Says we're a _delicacy_. What a creep!" The utter disgust at being known for his delicious meat was apparent in Demyx's voice. Axel couldn't help but snicker at that.

"It's not funny!" Demyx retorted, clearly offended.

"You're right, you're right. So this Riku is a cannibal or what?"

"Ew, never! Don't even compare us to the likes of _him_."

"Different species then." He could only assume that to be the case. "Funny, you look human."

"Humans, those Demyx doesn't mind being compared to." A fond smile tugged at his lips, the affection oddly noticeable in the rest of his expression as well. "Though Demyx might have thought differently had he not met such an exquisite one," Demyx spoke softly, his gaze lowered. He looked overly shy all of a sudden.

Axel couldn't resist the urge to tease him again, "Who's the lucky homo sapien?"

Demyx immediately raised his head and responded with nervous laughter. "Never you mind. He doesn't even know, so why would I tell you?"

Axel detected an edge to the other boy's voice that warned of how protective he was of this person. So he didn't answer Demyx's question, instead remaining silent and wondering what he had done to make such an untrustworthy impression. Did he really seem like some kind of boyfriend burglar?

From then on the conversation pretty much died out. Though Axel could tell it was because Demyx had obviously become lost in his own thoughts, not because he was upset. He was thankful the one supposedly-not-human being he knew wasn't mad at him for attempting to steal his boyfriend. Yep, everything was just dandy. Well, except for the fact that they were _still _walking down the fucking huge staircase. They had been at it for what seemed like forever, but no, the end was not fucking neigh. It would be faster if he just slid down the banister instead, but there was no way in hell he'd be trying that anytime soon. Endless staircase, plus unknown achievable velocity, plus inertia, equals… hell if he knew. Probably certain death. But hey, he liked to be an optimist, so the answer was actually probably ponies, chipped teeth, and being featured on an episode of Jackass. Though a shopping cart might have to be involved for that last one to come true.

"Why are you not asking where we are going? Demyx wasn't so fortunate and spent days trying to find someone. He asked many questions when he was finally able to."

Axel just shrugged, "I don't really think it matters much if I know."

"Spoil sport. Ah well, it's not like Demyx knows much anyway. They will explain to you when we get there whether you like it or not." Demyx sighed, looking disappointed at Axel's lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm not interested." Unless of course they were going to bless him with the powers of necromancy to fight off some sort of evil creatures that were attacking the city. He would SO summon zombie Roxas to do his bidding. That would be fucking sweet.

They had been walking a good hour or two before finally reaching the bottom. At some point Axel had wondered aloud how anyone could put up with walking up those stairs everyday. It was ridiculous. Though Demyx had promptly replied that nearly everyone in the city bought stones that allowed them to teleport, and then, with a tinge of pride laced in his voice he added that the owner of that particular building was skilled enough to teleport on his own without the help of some enchanted rock with limited use. He had also said that they would be teleporting to where they were headed once outside, since the reception would be bad inside, thus making teleportation dangerous to attempt.

Axel wasn't too keen on this teleportation thing, or anything vaguely resembling magic for that matter, but after walking down all those stairs he'd be willing to do _anything_ just so he didn't have to walk anymore.

When they got to the end of the staircase, Axel was thankful for there finally being a visible floor. He scanned the walls for some sort of door, expecting to be led out into a hall or something, but there were none. Just when he was about to open his mouth to question it, he spotted Demyx pressing some special tile on the floor, which caused a five-by-five panel on the floor to slide open. That was odd, wouldn't going any lower lead them underground? But as Axel leaned over the opening to look, he got a cropped view of the ground below that he had witnessed before through the window, though this time much closer.

He also noticed the silver fireman-pole connecting from the side of the opening downward. What.

"Sea urchins first!" Demyx proclaimed, smiling and shoving Axel over to the side with the pole.

Axel raised an eyebrow at the comparison, his lips quirking slightly in amusement. He hadn't had a chance to see himself since he'd left home, and after all he'd been through he was sure he looked like hell. At least his hair had apparently stayed relatively the same.

"Fine, fine." Axel dangled his legs over the side in preparation to go down. "Seriously though, a _stripper pole_? The guy that lives here must have some strange kinks, is that why you like him so much?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Gee, Demyx, I never would have thought you were that type of guy." Axel smirked at Demyx's total incomprehension before lowering himself and sliding down.

When he hit the ground, he immediately noticed how artificial the lighting was. It wasn't dark, but it was definitely still night, his vision all too reliant on the colorful glowing lights he hadn't yet located the source of. And although he was on ground-level outdoors now, he couldn't see the bases of any of the numerous buildings he had seen before. They were all _above_ him.

The buildings, all of them from what he could see, were raised above the ground. They were supported by pillars on each of the corners, pillars that got thinner and thinner as they grew closer to the ground. They seemed to be carrying the weight of the buildings impossibly. The space underneath varied from grass to pavement to brick paved streets, but regardless it was clear the buildings were constructed this way to grant more room for pedestrians.

It was odd; standing ground-level in a city and yet from most angles being able to see until his eyes could no longer make out what was too far in the distance, the forest of thin pillars not doing much to obstruct his view.

The light, he noted, was coming from round orbs that ran up the sides of the pillars and were arranged evenly on the bottom of the buildings. The fact that they were colored gave off the impression that this would be a night-life area, similar to Los Vegas and the like. But as he had expected, the streets appeared empty except for him and Demyx, who currently seemed to be searching himself for something. Personally, Axel didn't see how he could fit anything in that tiny garment of his, but hey.

His hand still sliding over his chest, feeling for a lump that was supposed to be there, Demyx finally addressed Axel, his eyes wide and frantic, "It's gone!"

That couldn't be good. Axel didn't know whether to be exasperated or amused at the blonde's antics. "What is?"

"T-The jewel! Demyx was wearing it around his neck; Marluxia gave it to him so he could teleport to the castle!" he explained quickly growing more and more frantic by the second.

Axel put two and two together and inwardly groaned when he realized that the loss of this necklace meant more walking. Still, he didn't want his tour guide to start hyperventilating and pass out. "Guess we'll just have to walk then. You know the way?"

Hands pausing, Demyx looked him over carefully. "Yes… You're right. Demyx was worried over nothing," he said carefully, visibly relaxing. Grabbing Axel's hand he added, "It's very far though."

While being dragged in the direction of what he could only assume was the castle, Axel intently studied his surroundings. The buildings all looked identical for the most part, though some were shaped more oddly than others. The view quickly got boring nonetheless. Until, after passing a great deal of buildings, he finally spotted someone else.

The someone appeared to be trying to climb up one of the pillars, using some sort of rope to assist him. Before Axel could point him out to Demyx, the stranger slipped and slid down with a yelp, landing with a thump, successfully alerting the blonde of his presence. Demyx didn't show any indication that he knew this person but immediately altered their course so that they reached the boy in no time. Axel couldn't help but think that his keenness to get involved with strangers could prove dangerous.

The brunette with hair spiky enough to rival Axel's own was wincing and rubbing his abused behind when he noticed them. His blue, blue eyes locked with Axel's green ones.

Axel froze. He looked almost exactly like…

His insides had gone though that weightless feeling that one often feels while riding on a roller coaster, and his heart had the nerve to make him think it was going to stop beating altogether before pumping blood faster than Roadrunner after the consumption thirty-seven gas station energy drinks.

The moment passed and the boy turned to frown at Demyx.

"Is he okay?" he asked with sheepish concern, "I think I have oxygen pills in my pack if he's having difficulty breathing."

_Well, at least he didn't sound too much like Roxas_, Axel thought, bitter and now unwilling to admit to himself that he had been hanging on every word, desperately trying hear a voice he had been sure he would never hear again.

"He's fine," Demyx said, offering a hand to the brunette. If Axel wasn't so focused on the Roxas look-alike, he might have been offended that Demyx didn't even look at him before confirming his assumed wellness.

The boy's eyes flickered over to Axel again, but something he saw must have confirmed what Demyx had said because he just shrugged and took the offered hand. "Thanks a bunch," he said, beaming at the blond boy in such a brilliant, heartwarming, contagious way that ought to get him locked up in quarantine for the rest of his natural life.

Axel could count on one hand the number of times he had witnessed Roxas grin like that, the last of which had been before he jumped off a building. And yet, this kid offered the infectious expression so easily. He almost felt like he was cheating somehow by witnessing it without some sort of collateral.

If he wasn't already fully aware how different this kid was from Roxas, he would have known when he finally tore his eyes away from the familiar face and got a good look at the rest of him.

Just taking a look at his attire, which consisted mostly of a wide array of belts proved the two were nothing alike, at least in taste. His clothes were odd and layered. It wasn't so much of a fashion emergency if you tried to ignore the sheer variety of _color_ the kid had on. It was very hard to ignore. Geez, if he had to guess what sort of mythical creature this kid was, Axel would have said rainbow-vampire, hands down. Seriously, he looked like he'd just finished sucking the life out of a rainbow without cleaning up the mess. Though it wasn't so bad, since the colors were in shades of a real rainbow, slightly more soft and easy on the eyes rather than overly bright and clashing.

In conclusion, the guy's clothing might have been cute if he were three years old or a child's stuffed plaything.

Still, as ridiculous as it was, he couldn't deny that the goofball looked almost identical to Roxas. Also by saying as much, he couldn't deny that the thoughts he was having about Roxas splashing around in rainbow-colored goo weren't doing much for his concentration. _Think, Axel. THINK._

It was a while before Axel noticed that Demyx had been conversing with the newcomer without really registering what they were saying. Something about the kid being in the same situation as Axel, probably the same inadequate explanation Demyx had given him just a few hours ago. Only when their attentions seemed to be fixed on him did he snap out of his daze.

"Axel, hellooo in there, Sora introduced himself," Demyx was saying. Axel's eyes quickly snapped over to the brunette, who had his hand extended towards Axel in greeting.

Axel's initial reaction was to freeze and stare again, but instead he felt himself smirking. _Sora, eh_? This was certainly an interesting development. Certainly, something such as this isn't a coincidence. Sora's name as well as resemblance to Roxas almost confirms that this is all just some sort of fucked up dream.

Axel shook Sora's offered hand, leaning in towards him and giving him another once over. Sora shied away slightly, but endured Axel's scrutiny until the redhead let go of his hand. Even after Axel straightened up and took a step back, his eyes remained on Sora, who blinked back at him awkwardly.

"If we plan to make it to the castle before the next moon cycle, we should start walking _now,_" Demyx interjected cheerfully, taking it upon himself to start leading the way again, this time without the hand holding, _thank god. _

The other two followed obediently, Sora bending down to pick up his large white backpack first. He lifted it as if it were fairly heavy, yet the pack didn't look like it had anything in it at all. Axel considered asking him what was in it, but instead opted for a different question.

"So, what's with the getup?"

Sora looked up at the sound of his voice, brows knitted in confusion. "Wha…? Oh! This?" he tugged on his vibrant shirt questioningly.

Axel nodded once, eyes on the fingers now fumbling idly with the colorful garment.

"There isn't much color on the ship I co-pilot," Sora began, fingers now unzipping his jacket and undoing a series of buckles. "It's all white and grays, mechanical colors, save for the blinky lights and the buttons and knobs they had to color code for me," the explanation continued while he worked on untucking his shirt while they walked. "It's a total downer sometimes, so I got this stellar idea to wear colorful clothes to make up for it, since it's against regulations to do any 'interior decorating'. It's a total win-win situation because it keeps my fellow explorers from going crazy and murdering everyone, _and,_"

Axel watched as Sora pulled his shirt up over his face (successfully flashing everyone present) and turned to face him. As interesting as his explanation was, Axel couldn't help but feel like his intelligence quotient was dropping just by listening to the kid.

"The fabric is thin enough so when I look through it like this, everything looks sane and colorful again," he finished excitedly, voice muffled slightly by the shirt currently being pressed into his face. "I do it whenever I feel a little sad or motion sick," he added as an afterthought.

…_Wow._ Axel honestly couldn't tell if that had been a joke or not. He looked on wearily as Demyx expressed his enthusiasm for the idea and leaned in to look through the shirt while Sora held it up for him. Axel decided that the whole display was endearing overall, but he may have been biased because the kid reminded him of Roxas. Though to be fair, Roxas would have to be heavily intoxicated to ever come up with such a ridiculous idea.

When Sora felt the pat on his head, he turned his gaze to question the affectionate gesture. Axel offered no explanation, coolly pulling his hand away after a few more pats, hooking his thumbs into his jean pockets instead.

"So, spaceship eh?" Axel asked as Sora readjusted his clothing. There was no way this kid was from his earth, but perhaps where he came from was similar… "Is our little lollipop an astronaut?" He knew his smile matched the teasing tone in his voice.

Sora frowned at the nickname, buckling his last belt and placing his hands on his hips. "Yes, actually. And, don't call me that."

"Aww, why not? You look like one"

Sora looked weary already. "Because, it's degrading…"

"What's a lollipop?"

Axel sighed, a faint smile tugging at his lips in spite of himself. It was going to be a long day. Hell, it already had been, he was all too ready to curl up and go to sleep. This was saying something, considering he had a constant paranoia of alien attacks nagging him from the back of his mind.


End file.
